SixOneTwo

Fun!  Thanks for the replies.

Could someone please comment / elaborate on what events we can expect if we ARE sailing on Halloween?

Again, thanks.  Will have to include this in another trip, another time.

John Bull, thanks for all of the detailed insight. One last question, is a train a possibility from Cadiz to some practical point in Gibraltar?

Is a private excursion to Gibraltar a possibility from a port stop in Cadiz?

You can also check it out during the spa tour on embarkation day!  It's open to see everything, and the staff explain the spa's services.  You could probably sit/lay down for a minute or two on the heated lounger. They frequently have staff giving free 5-minute shoulder massage during the spa tour times, too.  BONUS!

Also, I have never been Aqua or Concierge and have sometimes purchased the Persian Garden pass on board; usually on Day 1.  NEVER have been turned away.

Thanks everyone!  This will help with some packing decisions.  

Well, our ship is now offering an Alhambra tour!  As much as we like independent excursions, the timeline means we'll book the ship's tour and make the best of it.  

Hello, I'd love to hear from people who have sailed on a springtime TA, Florida to the Mediterranean.  What kind of temperatures can I expect out on deck?  Is it pleasant to sit on a balcony, or is it windy and cooler given you're in the Atlantic?  Is the pool deck do-able? 

I do realize no one can guarantee weather.  Just looking for a general idea, so I know how to pack and if I should plan on outdoor lounging or indoor lounging. 

Maybe I'm reading more into the descriptions than I should.  I'm interpreting:

• The Classic package as including all Coca Cola products ONLY.  And if there are non-Coca Cola products they are not included.   
• The Premium package as including those same products PLUS any other soda types they have on board.  

But what I think they MEAN is:  Classic and Premium include sodas.  Oh, by the way, we serve Coke products. 

Thanks to those who had actual experiences to relay.  

Hi, OK, maybe I need to join the bad copywriters, because I wasn't clear about my question.

1. Other than Coca Cola products, what other "soda" options are there that might or might not be included?  E.g. can I get ginger ale?  Club soda?  Tonic water?  Carbonated water from the gun (not bottled sparking water)?

2. Regardless of how the beverage is delivered (can or gun), is there a difference in the actual soda choices between the two soda packages?

Unfortunately, the description on X's website is NOT fairly clear.  

We've been on dozens of Celebrity sailings,  but have never done the bev packages.  Our question is on the non-alcoholic choices.

Classic description says "Enjoy your favorite Coca Cola...sodas such as Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta Orange and Coke Zero..."

Premium description says "Enjoy nearly our (sic) entire selection of sodas on board including all canned and fountain soft drinks from Coca Cola..."

So, are ALL kinds of sodas included in both of these?  Assuming the Premium text should be "Enjoy nearly ALL our..."  And yet what other sodas are in their selection if you can enjoy NEARLY all of them?  Are they not included in the Classic package?

What sodas AREN'T included in either of these packages?  I'm not asking about water, or Red Bull or Vitamin Water.  Just soda.

The copywriter for these beverage package blurbs could have made all of the package descriptions much more clear, as we all know.  But perhaps that would put Cruise Critic out of business...

Thanks for the input, everyone.  I'm willing to be creative, and we're typically independent travelers (non ship tours), but this time looks like a bust.  Fingers crossed that the ship's itinerary changes closer to sailing time.  Strange that we have so many stops in Spain and none involve the Alhambra or Gibraltar.  Even the Cadiz stop seems a little short to truly enjoy Seville.  We'll certainly find great sights and adventures regardless.

We were hoping to get to the Alhambra from Malaga.  I should note that we typically book independent tours, but I start my research with ship excursion info so that I know what's possible. I'm concerned that our ship lists no excursions to Grenada or the Alhambra. We are in port from 7 am to 4 pm.  Could it be that the timing is too tight for this?  Or can we expect to see this excursion come up closer to sailing date?  Independent tours are billing this as a 9-hour trip, and that seems a little too tight for comfort, although if we could skip the compulsory shopping and restaurant visits, it may be do-able. 

Please provide your feedback and experience?

So glad to hear the waffle station still exists and thanks for the tips on getting good ones.

I feel privileged also to have gotten a weigh-in from celebrity waffle "obsessor" Texed. I knew it was inevitable, but still...

It's been 2 years since we've sailed Celebrity. (What were we thinking?)

Do they still have the morning waffle station, and specifically on Equinox?

I tried searching "waffle" here , which returned alot of posts about the bathrobes, so I'm concerned. (yn)

Thoughts on "enforcement" of deck chair rules:

1. If the pool attendants had strong extroverted, and charismatic personalities with the ability to convince you diplomatically of your "chair hogging wrongs," they would not be working as pool attendants on a cruise ship.

2. If the pool attendants were paid a higher wage to handle some of the ridiculous confrontations we've all seen in life when these types of things come up, they might be more inclined to step into the ring, as it were, and challenge those who break the rules.

3. If the pool attendants were not under direct threat of losing their jobs as a result of bad questionnaire comments, they may be less intimidated about enforcing the chair guidelines.

4. So institute the timed sticker idea and spin the message in a more positive light. Rather than saying your items will be taken from the chair and put in Lost and Found, the message should be: After one hour, your items will be removed for safe-keeping. The pool attendants could staff a nice-looking counter area with cubbyholes behind them where your items are "being kept." So people are not receiving a penalty, they are being watched-out for.

Thoughts on "hogging" in other venues:

Why is it OK to sit on a deck chair all day, chatting or playing cards, or SLEEPING, without using the pool; but it's NOT OK to do that at Windjammer, Cafe Al Bacio, etc. without eating?

I feel that the Cafe al Bacio / Windjammer comparison to deck chair hogs is apples to oranges. If someone went to the Windjammer or Cafe al Bacio and put his book on the table and a sweater over each of two chairs, then walked away for 2 hours, THAT would be a chair hog. Or if someone went to Windjammer at 10:00 am, shoved tables together so they could prepare for a group of 20 seated together for lunch at noon, THAT would be a chair hog. If you're butt is in the seat, I feel it's OK. Honestly, there are alot of places to sit on board in relative isolation and read, study or visit, including your cabin. But being with and around people has a certain appeal. (And one can only drink so much coffee!) The ship is built for community...if not the cabins would be bigger and the public spaces would be fewer.

A quick addendum to my last post. After "anonymously" calling Celebrity last night for an answer to this question, imagine my surprise when today, not 12 hours after that inquiry, I had received FOUR e-mails and a phone message from Celebrity encouraging me to book my next vacation. They literally "had my number."

And given the result of that anonymous call, all of these messages just pour salt in the "no perks for you" wound. :(

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.

So, I checked two places on this. First with my TA, who told me that because I booked a Verandah GTY, I was ineligible for the promotion. She offered to change my booking to a promotion-eligible fare for the same cabin for $700 more. Um...no thanks.

Then I called X and just asked if I book a GTY cabin, am I eligible. The rep stated that GTYs are eligible, but if you book with a resident, senior or other discount, you are NOT eligible. This is exactly why I don't play the coupon-promotion-discount game. It always ends up NOT in my favor and I end up feeling bad.

Looking at the X website today, I see that an assigned verandah cabin is $250 more (in total) than we paid. I'm not going to re-book for $250 more to get perks that I won't actually feel I'm getting that level of value.

In the future, I'll be sure to check all combinations of prices with or without Captain's Club, resident, senior, military, and ongoing promotions before I make a decision. Others may want to do the same.

Regardless of all of this, I'm taking a "glass half full" attitude. I feel like I got a good fare. We are typically inside-cabin-cheapest-fare people. We got the verandah GTY for less than the cheapest interior fare. We've already been assigned our cabin and it's in a good location. And, honestly, the worst day cruising is usually better than the best day working. AND, as I write this, it's 6 degrees F, which I will enjoy leaving behind for a week!

Anyone know when this promotion began? We booked a verandah for a March 2018 sailing through a travel agent on January 19 (2018). Nothing was said about it. I wonder if we can go back and request it, even though we are past final payment?

Me too. Just received my credit card bill, 10 days after returning from our cruise (April 29) and, sure enough, a $6.19 charge. I keep all of my receipts and compare them to my final bill. The $6.19 was a SECOND charge on the same day as my full bill was charged.

Interestingly, there was no mini bar in our room and when I asked that the Evian water be removed, the cabin attendant fought with me and insisted that it be left in the room. It remained there when we left.

This is not a glitch.

A few years ago we took a ship's excursion (Princess) to Todos Santos outside of Cabo. It was advertised as a tour to see the Hotel California which inspired the Eagles' classic album. We were skeptical, knowing that the song is supposed to be an allegory and the photo on the album cover is of the Beverly Hills Hotel. We really wondered how they got away with advertising the town's and hotel's "fame." The hotel / restaurant played alot of Eagles music in the background and there was a shop across the street selling T-shirts with this claim to fame.

Today I see in the news that the Eagles are suing the owners of this hotel for fabricating this story and perpetuating it to attract visitors to this little village which has nothing else to attract or offer tourists. http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/the-eagles-sue-hotel-california/ar-BBAEfsa?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Please be aware of this if you should be tempted to book a tour to Todos Santos. The cruise lines, I hope, will change their tour descriptions now that this is out in the open. It's really just a 60-minute bus ride to a small village which has a hotel and restaurant that caters to tourists.

On Rhapsody today...it is her 20th birthday, having been delivered on 4/23/97 from Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France. Minor celebrations on board with a happy hour 25% off drinks and a "birthday toast" (details unknown) later tonight.

If it were me with this issue, I'd do one of two things:

1. Ask my doctor's office if they would advise me how to do it for my husband.

2. Post on my roll call and see if there are any healthcare professionals traveling along with you who would be willing to do the suture removal. It would be nice to have an experienced person do this so that on the very rare chance that something is not right, a trained eye could see it.

To those who have commented with some warnings on my advice that a TA can help, thanks for offering that. I do always read the fine print and make sure that my needs will be met. I hope everyone does that! Oh, and I use an agent who is "live and in person" and trustworthy. I probably wouldn't be so quick to recommend you get insurance advice from an agency with only an online presence. I should have included these aspects in my original post.